St. Gotthard Pass, Italian Passo del San Gottardo, German Sankt Gotthardpass, mountain pass in the Lepontine Alps of southern Switzerland, an important motor and railway route between central Europe and Italy. The pass lies at an elevation of 6,916 feet (2,108 metres) and is 16 miles (26 km) long. Although the pass was known to the Romans, it was not generally used as a cross-Alpine route until the early 13th century. The name of the pass, initially mentioned early in the 14th century, is believed to be derived from a hospice built at the summit by the dukes of Bavaria in honour of St. Godehard, or Gotthard, an 11th-century bishop of Hildesheim (now in Germany).

Train entering the Gotthard Base Tunnel upon its ceremonial opening on June 1, 2016.

Laurent Gillieron— Keystone/AP Images

A long, winding motorway leads across the St. Gotthard Pass. Beneath the pass the St. Gotthard Tunnel (constructed 1872–80) extends for more than 9 miles (14 km) and reaches a maximum elevation of 3,773 feet (1,150 metres). The railway (opened 1882) through the tunnel connects Lucerne, Switzerland, with Milan. This route includes several spiral tunnels in the Reuss and Ticino river valleys. In 1980 the St. Gotthard Road Tunnel, more than 10 miles (16 km) in length and able to accommodate more than 1,500 automotive vehicles per hour, was opened between Göschenen and Airolo. The drilling of a 35-mile (57-km) railway tunnel running well below the existing St. Gotthard tunnels was completed in 2010. The longest in the world at the time, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, which ceremonially opened on June 1, 2016, could accommodate high-speed trains.

Overview of the Gotthard Base Tunnel filmed in 2009, which describes its construction and projected …

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...linkage; it was opened in the early 13th century with the construction of a bridge in the Schöllenen Gorge, which traverses the northern chain, while the southern range is crossed by the St. Gotthard Pass at an elevation of 6,916 feet (2,108 metres). The 9-mile (14-km) Saint Gotthard rail tunnel through the pass was opened in 1882; a twin 10.5-mile (17-km) road tunnel was opened in...

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federated country of central Europe. Switzerland’s administrative capital is Bern, while Lausanne serves as its judicial centre. Switzerland’s small size—its total area is about half that of Scotland —and its modest population give little indication of its international...